Encouraging our children to use their imaginations and get involved in the arts is one of the best ways we can support their overall development.
The arts provide children with the fundamental tools for academic success. Kids gain lifelong skills while exploring their creative side, like critical thinking, sharing, and collaboration. By exploring art making styles and techniques from around the world, we can expand our children’s cultural awareness and personal perspectives.
Being engaged in art making—whether that’s painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, music, dance, or other creative disciplines—can help kids learn how to share their emotions on their own terms. This, in turn, fosters their ability to express themselves to others and builds a strong sense of self-confidence.
Take time to cultivate your child’s passion for the arts with the hands-on projects and crafts, artsy games, and engaging videos below. And keep the fun going with Learn Along Bingo packets full of printable activities and everyday learning ideas for children grades Pre-K to 2.
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Explore the Arts Together
Unleashing Your Child’s Inner Artist
Grades PreK-3
When kids explore their creativity, it leads to lots and lots of fun. But did you know that it can also lead to other important benefits throughout their lives like better academic outcomes and greater emotional health and happiness. Here are some simple, low-cost ways to make art a part of your family’s everyday life.
Nurturing Your Child’s Creative Mind
Grades PreK-3
Ever notice how kids often have more fun playing with an empty box than with what was inside of it? That’s their imagination at work, and we should nurture this creative spirit.
Giving Feedback: Seven Ways to Respond to Your Child’s Creative Work
Grades PreK-3
As parents, we know that our children’s artistic work and expression is an important part of their childhood and teen years. And it matters to young artists just how we respond to them. So how can parents talk with and engage their kids about their creative work? Here are seven suggestions to get you started.
KQED Art School Collection
Grades 6-12
Art School is a KQED web video series that introduces contemporary artists who discuss their careers and intentions, then demonstrate hands-on techniques or concepts. Art School provides resources for learning how to break dance, draw comic strips, create animations, and much more. Empower folks of all ages to engage with contemporary art, and discover new ideas for creativity from a variety of professional artists through this fun and engaging series.
Projects, Games & More
Daniel Tiger Dance Party Game
Grades PreK-K
Dance along with Daniel and his friends in this Dance Party Game! Follow their dance moves, or listen to the music and dance in your own way.
Write and Play Found Poetry
Grades PreK-2
Found poetry, often described as the literary equivalent of a collage, is when you take existing words, phrases or passages and re-frame them to create poetry. Help your child play with words and express herself to create found poetry.
Pinkamagine Fashion Game
Grades PreK-2
Design and decorate clothes for Pinkalicious characters! Imagine the possibilities with different shapes, colors, and patterns.
Make Your Own Scratch Art Paper
Grades PreK-5
Making scratch art paper is a great way for your child to express their creativity and imagination. Once you’ve made your paper, encourage your child to let their imagination run wild with different designs!
Claymation | Digital Storytelling
Grades 3-8
Learn principles of Claymation storytelling through this digital lesson! Create a clay character, tell a great story, throw in a few animation principles, and you’re a Claymation pro in no time.
Mining the Internet with Jenny Odell | KQED Art School
Grades 6-12
Artist Jenny Odell uses secondhand imagery to render our built environment as otherworldly and strange. In this episode of Art School, we hang out with Odell and get a glimpse of her process of gathering images and crafting them into grids and other forms. After watching, follow along as Odell walks us through how she made her piece Garbage Selfie, the product of photographing her trash for twenty-one days. Then, make a garbage selfie of your very own!
Learn Along Bingo
With Learn Along Bingo, children can view, explore, and play as they learn alongside their PBS KIDS friends on the PBS KIDS 24/7 channel. We hope your family will use it to inspire learning each and every day.
This time, we’re exploring the arts! Learn about how making and experiencing music and movement helps us express ourselves, alone or with others.
Grades PreK-K
Play & Learn: In this packet, there are printable activities and everyday learning ideas for you and your child to choose from. As you complete each square, mark it off to celebrate the learning!
Grades 1-2
Play & Learn: In this packet, there are printable activities and everyday learning ideas for you and your child to choose from. As you complete each square, mark it off to celebrate the learning!
For even more games and educational resources for young learners, go to the Sharing Your Creativity Through the Arts Collection on PBS Kids for Parents.